1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to electricity distribution networks and, more specifically, to an approach for prioritizing network alerts.
2. Description of the Related Art
A network operations center (NOC) is a centralized control station that observes and operates an electricity distribution infrastructure, such as a “smart grid.” A smart grid includes a set of interconnected nodes that participate in managing and distributing electricity to consumers. Each node in the smart grid includes a particular type of hardware and performs a given task based on that type of hardware. A given node also includes a monitor that supervises the operation of the hardware within the node and reports status information to the NOC, including data representing the operating condition of the hardware associated with that node. The monitor may also report alert data (“alerts”) to the NOC that indicate various hardware problems experienced by the node.
In some situations, a portion of the smart grid may undergo a crisis, during which a large number of nodes within that portion begin to experience hardware problems. The crisis could be caused by a number of factors, including extreme weather or other hardware-damaging events. When a crisis occurs and hardware residing in the smart grid becomes compromised, the affected nodes transmit alerts notifying the NOC of the precise nature of the hardware problems.
Computer systems within the NOC convey those alerts to human operators responsible for managing the NOC, who may then take steps to handle each alert. In general, the NOC operators handle the alerts in the order in which those alerts are received at the NOC. When an alert is received, the NOC computer systems may (i) send an email to one or more of the NOC operators and/or (ii) display the alert on a screen viewable by all NOC operators.
Problems arise during catastrophic events, when the NOC may receive hundreds or thousands of separate alerts. The NOC computer systems respond by sending hundreds or thousands of emails to the NOC operators and/or displaying hundreds or thousands of alerts to the NOC operators. Events of significant magnitude may quickly overwhelm the NOC operators, making it difficult to handle or prioritize the alerts in any meaningful way. Consequently, NOC operators can have quite a bit of difficultly reacting to and managing such events quickly and effectively, which, among other things, can have a substantial negative impact on quality of service.
As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art is a more effective technique for handling alerts that arise within smart networks and other types of electricity distribution infrastructures.